<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large"><div class="gmail_default"><p class="MsoNormal"><b>May 9, 2022</b></p><p style="margin:0in"><font size="4" color="#0000ff"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br></span></b></font></p><p style="margin:0in"><font size="4" color="#0000ff"><b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Dear Center on Aging Directors:</span><u></u></b></font></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><font size="4" color="#0000ff"><b><br></b></font></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><font size="4" color="#0000ff"><b>We are asking each of you for your assistance in distributing the invitation below to older adults, 60 years of age and older, who are living independently (not in a long-term-care setting).</b></font></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><font size="4" color="#0000ff"><b><br></b></font></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><font face="Times New Roman, serif" size="4" color="#0000ff"><b>We are aiming for maximum participation by older adults throughout the country and your help will be very helpful in obtaining broad scale participation.</b></font></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><font size="4" color="#0000ff"><b><br></b></font></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><font size="4" color="#0000ff"><b>Many thanks,</b></font></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><font size="4" color="#0000ff"><b><br></b></font></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><font size="4" color="#0000ff"><b>Len</b></font></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><br></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">______________________________________ </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><b>Hello:</b></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><b><br></b></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">You are invited to participate in a research study. The University of Maine is conducting research on long-term care, with Principal Investigators Dr. Lenard Kaye, Director of the University of Maine Center on Aging; Dr. Jennifer Crittenden, Associate Director of the University of Maine Center on Aging; and Angela Hunt, Chief Innovation Officer at The Cedars. You are being invited to participate in a national survey of independent-living older adults on their expectations and preferences about nursing home or assisted living care for their future selves or for a loved one. </span><u></u><u></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u></u> <u></u></b></p><p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">The Designation of Excellence project, described further at the website linked below, is a multi-year project to create standards of care in nursing homes and assisted living homes based on information gathered from people like you, as well as from current residents of long-term </span><span style="color:black;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:12pt">care, their family members, and from long-term care staff and leadership. Your input is extremely valuable for efforts to improve long-term care services in the future and we hope you will support this national effort. Please visit the project website at </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.pccexcellence.org/__;!!PhOWcWs!zP6A6Ues2TBlD4NCnTTcsHVwOYxGE_JKgqdb14friEz9PkZUYp746dm9h9PlC2HbaJhQZn3FKHV53_Khid5Jb3zt1w$" target="_blank">www.pccexcellence.org/</a></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"> for more information about the study.</span></b></p><p style="margin:0in"><b><u></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u></u> <u></u></b></p><p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">The survey is electronic, completely anonymous, and will take about 15-20 minutes. It asks a few background questions about where you live and your overall health and the remainder of the survey asks about your expectations and priorities around aspects of care that you might receive should you or a loved one have to move into a long-term care community. Any individual aged 60 years or older and living independently in the United States is eligible to complete the survey. The survey is available until June 5, 2022.</span><u></u><u></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u></u> <u></u></b></p><p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">To find out more about the risks and benefits of your participation and how survey data will be handled by the research team, please click on the attachment below or the<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,0)">yellow</span><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span>highlighted link to review the informed consent document (which is also a part of the survey). If you wish to participate, you can access the survey by clicking on the<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><font color="#000000"><span style="background-color:rgb(0,255,0);font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">green</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></font><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">highlighted link below.</span><u></u><u></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u></u> <u></u></b></p><p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Thank you for your contribution to this important research! Feel free to forward this email to other older adults who may be interested in participating.</span><u></u><u></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u></u> <u></u></b></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><b>Sincerely,</b></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><b>Dr. Len Kaye</b></span></p><p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><b>_____________________________</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u></u> <u></u></b></p><p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(62,106,127);background-color:lime">Please</span><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://redcap.link/national_independentsurvey__;!!PhOWcWs!zP6A6Ues2TBlD4NCnTTcsHVwOYxGE_JKgqdb14friEz9PkZUYp746dm9h9PlC2HbaJhQZn3FKHV53_Khid6Ur-_kPA$" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(62,106,127);background-color:lime"> click here </span></a><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(62,106,127);background-color:lime">to take the survey<u></u><u></u></span></b></p><p style="margin:0in"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://redcap.um.maine.edu/surveys/?s=FK7NMW7E88__;!!PhOWcWs!zP6A6Ues2TBlD4NCnTTcsHVwOYxGE_JKgqdb14friEz9PkZUYp746dm9h9PlC2HbaJhQZn3FKHV53_Khid7Fx8DgsA$" target="_blank"><b>https://redcap.um.maine.edu/surveys/?s=FK7NMW7E88</b></a></p></div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kaf-qn7KL4yT07vou5w3L4TgXBRr1YujTOhjxlK9knc/edit?usp=sharing__;!!PhOWcWs!zP6A6Ues2TBlD4NCnTTcsHVwOYxGE_JKgqdb14friEz9PkZUYp746dm9h9PlC2HbaJhQZn3FKHV53_Khid41sqwwoA$" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background-color:rgb(255,255,0)"><b><font size="4">Informed Consent (click here to open)</font></b></span></a><br></div><span style="font-size:small">--<span class="gmail-Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br clear="all"></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><ul>
</ul><ul style="font-size:large"><p align="LEFT"></p></ul><div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div><div><font color="#000000">Lenard W. Kaye, D.S.W., Ph.D. (He, Him, His)</font></div><div><font color="#000000">Director, UMaine Center on Aging</font></div><div><font color="#000000">Professor, UMaine School of Social Work </font></div><div><font color="#000000">Camden Hall</font></div><div><font color="#000000">25 Texas Avenue</font></div><div><font color="#000000">Bangor, Maine 04401-4324</font></div><div><font color="#000000">telephone: 207-262-7922; fax: 207-262-7921</font></div><div><font color="#000000">e-mail: </font><a href="mailto:len.kaye@maine.edu" target="_blank"><font color="#000000">len.kaye@maine.edu</font></a></div><div><font color="#000000"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.mainecenteronaging.org__;!!PhOWcWs!zP6A6Ues2TBlD4NCnTTcsHVwOYxGE_JKgqdb14friEz9PkZUYp746dm9h9PlC2HbaJhQZn3FKHV53_Khid7c0OT29Q$" target="_blank">www.mainecenteronaging.org</a></font></div><div>   </div><div>  <img src="https://umaine.edu/brand/wp-content/uploads/sites/213/2016/06/UMaine_fullcrest_logo_email_signature.jpg" width="200" height="59"> </div><div>   <font size="1"><img width="96" height="96" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/mail-sig/AIorK4w1htWzBQfo9QFWSvM1QbJB7CF04e8fCUjKb5DoXt-ua66pSLoAlI6NwiY69_f1X9FQujzFVnw">        </font><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_MDiqQv2F1IapcM66c0cikatACBKsnUqY7PixvEKG1N_ZXMDambWpodBsm9csPiZPQFvzncirBhJlMO1KNbEc4w1XRd9DhzVoIuYo6yEl3c-3JdLd_pPjV42FVvjObmakvvKEt30" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap;color:rgb(0,0,0);margin-left:0px;margin-top:0px"></div><div><div title="Page 1" style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><div></div></div></div><ul style="font-size:large"><p></p></ul><ul></ul><font size="4">
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